What felt like a long day was now approaching its end, mere hours before midnight. The orange hue was slowly fading, and the street poles were about to shine at their roles, literally.

Ascalon was fixated on the distance, gazing into the empty street, as shadows grew larger and the daylight transitioned into darkness. His companions took notice of his absence, Lilithra being the first to turn back to look at the knight. “Is something wrong?” She asked curiously, tilting her head to the side. Selorien also stopped in his tracks, turning around and casting a watchful eye in the direction the blonde man seemed so preoccupied with.

Among the many races that inhabited the planet, his was known to have the advantage when it came to eyesight, but even he couldn’t figure out what was supposed to be the object of the knight’s attention.

A few moments passed, and just when he was about to give up and chalk it off as nothing, he spotted the shape of a car approaching from far away. A bit surprised, he looked over at the knight with a suspicious look on his face. “Was it just a coincidence…?” Selorien whispered as he focused on the distance once again, this time in a more serious manner. How could the blonde man detect something beyond his own line of sight?

Selorien banished those thoughts, and as he began to pay more attention, he noticed it was a car commonly used by the defense force. He thought they were probably scouting in after securing the safety of the civilians, since the kaiju alert was probably called off quite a while ago. The sound of the machine started to reach their ears, and even Lilithra perked up to see what was finally approaching.

As the car stopped, Ascalon seemed baffled. What was this contraption that moved so fast and effortlessly through the road? It made a strange but continuous sound, and it vibrated as if it were alive. He could see people inside through conveniently placed glass, an ingenious design to be sure.

Were they riding it, like an armored horse of sorts? But made of steel, and possibly, very undoubtedly, magic? He was so deeply intrigued by the sight before him, that he didn’t notice Lilithra was standing right at his side, her face fixed on him as she smiled happily.

The doors of the military vehicle opened, and two people dressed in camo clothing emerged from it, accompanied by a hooded person; it was his presence that the knight noticed. Aside from him, one of them scanned the surroundings in reconnaissance, while the other approached Ascalon’s group with a serious expression.

He parted his lips and a strong, commanding voice could be heard. “Sergeant Louis, requesting a status report.” Ascalon snapped out of the enchantment and glanced at the man. He was tall, pretty bulky, and his demeanor was that of a disciplined man.

Lilithra took a few steps forward, taking the reins of the situation, Ascalon simply watching from behind. “Hello Sargeant! We’re from the Casanova Guild, sent to scout the area when the siren started.” She paused, and the man nodded in acknowledgment. “We found a wanderer, but no sign of kaiju, uhm, sir, as obvious as it seems.” The stranger looked at Ascalon, raising an eyebrow in surprise and suspicion.

The hooded man in the back seemed to take interest in the conversation, too. “But, uhm, yeah, no kaiju to be seen. Sir!” Lilithra was a bit nervous, as she had never actually talked to the defense force. This was her first assignment, basically.

The man looked over to Selorien, then Ascalon again, and lastly to Lilithra. “Hmm… I see. Headquarters feared it was a false alarm. Also, are you certain he’s a wanderer?” Although Ascalon’s appearance was a bit out of the norm, it was not enough for the Sargeant to simply believe he was what the girl claimed.

After all, to his knowledge Guilds were populated by outlandish people of all kinds. He could be a random wannabee trying to get some attention, for all he knew. “Yes sir! I confirmed it by inviting him into the Gifted network!” She answered energetically, still proud of that fact. Ascalon focused on these words, recalling the events that had transpired. He still wanted to ask about that ‘Gifted network’, or that ‘kaiju’ thing, although that would have to wait of course.

The sergeant took a black contraption out of his chest pocket, and talked into it, as Ascalon peered at him curiously. “Headquarters, this is Sergeant Louis reporting in. Two Guild members of Casanova on site, confirming the absence of a kaiju. Streets seem completely unharmed. But also…” He paused, scanning Ascalon from head to toes as he furrowed his brows in skepticism. “There’s a supposed wanderer here with them, said they invited him to this ‘Gifted network’ thingie of theirs.” He didn’t try to sugarcoat his distaste for the situation and the Guild’s involvement, something Ascalon took note of as he thought Lilithra and Selorien had been really helpful to him.

But he wasn’t about to question the man’s beliefs and grievances. He remained a lost knight in an unfamiliar kingdom, with more pressing matters at hand than delving into other people’s affairs.

As the knight thought about that, the black gadget started answering back. Ascalon made a surprised expression, listening to the magic device intently. “Report received. We confirmed that Casanova sent two of their members earlier today. We request you leave the wanderer on their hands, they should know the procedure.” The man had an unsatisfied, sour look on his face, and clicked his tongue before putting the contraption back into his pocket.

“You heard her, don’t go causing any trouble with this guy and quickly do whatever it is you’re supposed to do, understand?! And for fucks sake, do something about that big stick before he pokes someone’s head off!” He exclaimed angrily, pointing at Ascalon’s Lance, the mighty Exemplaris being reduced to a mere ‘big stick’.

“Roger~!” Said the girl enthusiastically, as she grabbed the Knight by the arm and started to walk again in the opposite direction. Taken by surprise, Ascalon let himself be guided by Lilithra, while the grumpy man went back to his steel carriage. Ascalon was still so, so very confused.

His mettle was being tested left and right, and he almost wished he was back at the battlefield, not thinking much about anything other than the fight at hand. Selorien, who had been silent the whole time since he seemed to want no hassle, joined them on their way once again. The gaze of the hooded man lingered on the back of Ascalon’s head as they left, but the knight sensed no danger or bloodlust so he didn’t pay any mind to it.

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They walked for a couple of minutes through the well-lit streets. These magic lighting poles were incredible, as they made the shadows cower to a considerable distance, and were way more efficient than the old torches the knight was accustomed to.

Ascalon wondered how they could stay powered for so long, since only competent mages mages could cast ℓιɠнт and maintain it for such a prolonged time. While in awe, he heard Selorien’s voice. “So, are we gonna ‘follow protocol’, Lil?” He spoke with mischievousness, smiling at the girl.

Ascalon glanced at her, and saw a similarly playful grin on her face. “Hell no! We take him to Uncle’s first! I don’t want him to go deal with the boring suits just yet!” Lilithra answered boldly, as Selorien snickered.

It seemed they had plans for him, and from his lips escaped a chuckle, which made Lilithra smile happily. To be fair, deep down Ascalon was kind of enjoying himself too, though after all that had happened, he felt like he didn’t have the right—not after suffering defeat at the hands of the demon.

While Ascalon was absorbed in his thoughts, Selorien’s eye wandered and caught sight of the blonde’s weapons, remembering the words of the Sargeant. “Hmm…” He let out a soft murmur, and Lilithra picked up on it quickly, by following his gaze.

“Oh right!” She exclaimed as she stopped, and turned around to face the knight, her hoodie and hair dancing as she spun. “Uhm, let’s deal with that ‘big stick’, if you don’t mind!” Ascalon stopped and listened, mustering half a smile.

“Remember the Gifted network I invited you to? You can actually use it for a ton of things!” Oh? This was one of the things Ascalon was interested to know more about. “First, you have to imagine the screen, and, uhm, associate that image in your mind with the Gifted network! Uh, I hope that doesn’t sound confusing.” Screen? Did she mean the image that materialized out of thin air before?

He contemplated for a moment, and tried to summon the memory back, concentrating on the key word as Lilithra instructed him to. The girl was waiting in anticipation. As he opened his eye, there it was, a big, floating blue ‘screen’.

[Welcome to the Gifted network, Ascalon Rendland.]

The letters faded, and many blocks with more words started to appear. He looked at Lilithra, his face clearly pleading for help. She grinned and opened her own interface in order to guide him better. “Now, push on ‘Profile’, and then on the ‘inventory’ button!” He listened intently, and then looked around the screen. Following the instructions diligently, he managed to find the way to the inventory word and pressed it.

A new image appeared, showing many more blocks and words, his mind working at full throttle to decipher the meaning behind it. “Now, there should be a ‘remove’ button! Press it, and then select what you want to unequip on the left side; in this case, uhm, your weapon, shield, and maybe your armor?” She beamed from ear to ear, looking really animated while explaining all that information to him.

From what he had understood, wanderers weren’t that common, so it made sense that she found the situation so entertaining. “Hmm, oh!” He exclaimed as he found the words he was looking for. He pressed on them, and a silhouette of him appeared! All the objects he was wearing were categorized neatly, from his armors and boots to even the clothing underneath, which was both amazing and weird.

image [https://i.imgur.com/tF55hXE.png]

He pushed on the Exemplaris image, then on Aegis, and his pieces of armor, one by one. “Oh yeah! When you’re done, press ‘confirm’!” Lilithra added, still smiling. He then noticed the word on the bottom of the screen, and pressed on it.

At that moment, he felt the weight of his equipment disappear, as it slowly disintegrated into light before banishing. He gasped, and many thoughts crossed his mind. From surprise to doubt, and a bit of fear too. What if he had just destroyed his precious equipment?! “Wha-!” Lilithra’s surprised voice startled him, so he quickly focused her eye on her.

Lilithra was covering half of her now blushed face with both hands as she squirmed, peeking through her fingers. “U-uhm, y-your shirt!” She exclaimed as she burned to memory the man’s muscular torso. It was truly a sight, many a scar adorning the skin, giving off a rough and tough feeling.

“Oh. My apologies!” He answered a bit startled, as this was a new kind of occurrence for him. It was pretty much the first time he had shown his bare skin in the middle of the street, in a non-combat environment, that is.

It seemed that he had mistakenly selected his shirt as part of the items to be unequipped, but he had no idea how to undo these changes. She noticed this, and tried her best to explain it to him. “Uhm! You can simply put them on again at will, by using the ‘equip’ button and following a similar process! Y-you can also like, skip the button pressing if you imagine yourself doing it instead!” She demonstrated by manifesting a big, red marble on her hand, and then banishing it again, while she tried her best to not look at him—to no avail, that is.

Lilithra seemed really skilled at using the network, seeing how she didn’t press anything and simply conjured the sphere. He felt a tingle of emotion run through him. Such advanced and convenient magic, this kingdom was truly exceptional! He proceeded to follow her advice, and fiddled with the screen until he managed to summon the last part of his attire.

He looked satisfied, and smiled at Lilithra. “This Gifted network of yours is beyond belief, Lady Lilithra! We had nothing of the sort back at Excadia.” He exclaimed in admiration, and she smiled from ear to ear.

“Hehe! And this is just one of its many functions, but! We can leave that for later.” She replied, still blushing, but a bit more relaxed. A few steps in front of them, Selorien chuckled, and Ascalon realized just how absorbed he was by the Gifted network, having completely forgotten about the hooded guy for a while.

He thought of apologizing, but Selorien didn’t show any discomfort. In fact, he seemed to really like to just hang in the distance, and observe others interact. Or at least, that’s what the knight had concluded from all their interactions.

After all that, Lilithra looked at Ascalon from head to toes, nodding a few times, visibly satisfied. Ascalon stood before them, devoid of armor, now wearing a brown leather shirt, a pair of unremarkable green pants, and a somewhat old pair of boots tied around by small ropes.

He now looked like a peasant you would see depicted in a picture book, but at least he was still wearing his white cloak. “We gotta hit the shopping district later, and get you some cool, new clothes!” Lilithra stated with cheerfulness. What was wrong with his attire? It wasn’t banquet-worthy, but it was just fine for training.

But well, looking at Lilithra and Selorien, Ascalon could easily picture himself out of place. Come to think of it, their clothes had looked really interesting from the get go, and exuded a really different, exotic vibe in comparison to his.

Selorien simply nodded in agreement at his friend's words, so Ascalon smiled and accepted the proposal. “Understood. I shall be in your care, Lady Lilithra, Sir Selorien.” He bowed, and the girl shuffled shily, looking up at him.

“Alright, let’s go! We can’t hog you to ourselves all night, so we gotta make it count!” Lilithra exclaimed as energetically as ever, and they resumed their walking, with Ascalon following close behind.

They were supposedly going to her uncle’s place, and the way there seemed oddly familiar. Around them, people were starting to populate the streets once more. Whatever had them in a panic before, seemingly resolved.

In the distance, a building came into view, and the words 'The Chalice' could be read, above a sign that also added 'Bar'. Oh… that was where he had awakened, wasn’t it?